Changes to Come
by jaszyluvsMerDer
Summary: Meredith will not only be trying to figure out her future, but she’ll also get some visits from the past. Is there more to Meredith’s dark and twisty past that we don’t know of? You know what they say; the past always catches up to you. after season 3
1. Chapter 1

Title:Changes to Come

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Grey's Anatomy.

This is my version of Season 4. Some stuff that has happened I will include in certain parts and I'll bring in new characters to the story also. Hope you enjoy!!

Summary:

This takes place one week after the Season 3 finale. Meredith and Derek are broken up and neither one is really happy at the moment. Meredith does not know about her sister, Lexie, working at the hospital yet. George decides to re-do his internship. (No George and Izzie mess.) Izzie and Alex have been getting close again since Ava left. Christina is at work and acts like nothing happened. She does not know that Burke has left for good yet. Addison has left and the Chief has decided to stay chief and work on his marriage. Mark is Mark and is trying to get over Addison, while Bailey got chief resident. Meredith will not only be trying to figure out her future, but she'll also get some visits from the past. Is there more to Meredith's dark and twisty past that we don't know of? You know what they say; the past always catches up to you.

**Chapter 1**

It had been one seek since the wedding that didn't happen. Today marked the first day of their residency. The interns, or new residents, would have interns of their own. Everything was changing. Whether it was for good or bad, everyone would just have to wait and find out.

Meredith was standing outside looking up at the hospital. The building looked enormous and intimidating. She was thinking about everything that had happened in the past year. As she stood there, she couldn't shake the fact that once again, she had a feeling. This time however, it didn't necessarily feel like she was going to die. Meredith couldn't put her finger on whether it was a bad or good thing. She felt hesitant on walking into the hospital. So many things had happened to her in the last year and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

After watching her "person" get left at the altar, she had lost hope. That was her last chance to believe that there truly was a happily ever after. She knew that it was foolish to base her beliefs and opinions on what had happened to someone else, but because of her past, it was enough to make her run away from her problems once again.

Had she done the right thing in letting Derek go? He had, after all, asked her to put him out of his misery and that was what she did. Or at least that is what she told herself. He would be happier without her and have a better life. He didn't need to deal with all her dark and twisty issues. For the past week she convinced herself that letting Derek go was for the best even though deep down, she knew she loved him and she would never stop.

While Meredith stood outside the hospital, Derek had been walking across the bridge. He looked outside real quick and then stopped. He saw Meredith just standing outside the hospital. It pained him to see her so alone yet at the same time he was angry. She just wouldn't let him in no matter how hard he tried. She always turned to her friends and not him. He was always left in the dark.

As he stared down at her, he too started to get an uneasy feeling. Last time the feeling had occurred when the bomb scare had happened. As he looked at her, he noticed that she seemed scared or was trying to make the decision of coming into the hospital or not. He could see that she is in deep thought. Looking at her, he felt as if something was off. He felt as if a storm was coming and he too didn't know if it was bad or good.

Meredith looked so lost and confused. Her hair was down while she wore jeans and a plain shirt with a light jacket over it. It amazed him how beautiful she looked no matter what she was wearing.

Derek watched as Meredith finally took a deep breath and walked toward the hospital's sliding glass doors. After watching her get onto an elevator, he left also and continued on with his day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After Meredith walked into the hospital, she got on an elevator and headed for the residents' locker room. All the other residents were already getting ready.

"Can you believe it guys? We're actually residents," Izzie said excitedly.

"Actually not all of us," Alex replied. "Don't forget who failed their intern exam."

"I am so ready to be a surgeon. Now we have our own interns to boss around," Christina said. "Too bad George is missing out," Christina smirked.

All the residents continued talking about what would happen next. Everyone was excited yet nervous at the same time. It felt good not to be at the exact bottom of the surgical food chain. Now they had some authority. The residents felt as if now was the time to prove that they would still make it.

"Has anyone seen Meredith?" Izzie asked.

For the first time, everyone had noticed that Meredith was not there. She couldn't have come in early seeing as her cubby hole was empty. Everyone looked at each other trying to figure out where she could've been. Before anyone could say another word, the door opened and Meredith walked in.

She went straight to her cubby and started to get ready. It seemed as if she was still in her own little world, just like earlier outside the hospital. By now, rumor had spread that she and Derek were no longer together. Everyone kind of watched her as she got ready in silence, not even acknowledging them. She changed her clothes and re-tied her shoes in a robotic manner. Meredith took her hair and put it up in a messy pony tail. After getting ready, she headed to the door to leave.

"Where are you going? We have to wait here for Dr. Bailey," Christina said.

As if snapping out of a day dream, she finally realized where she was and that someone was talking to her. Meredith simply said, "I… uhhh… have to go see the Chief." With that she left leaving everyone confused as to why she needed to see the chief. They figured it was probably nothing and left her to be. Everyone knew how Meredith was.

A few minutes later Bailey walked in and started giving out orders. "Where is Grey?" she asked.

"She said she had to go see the Chief," Izzie replied.

"Okay, well let her know to come find me when she is done."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Meredith left the locker room and headed for the Chief's office. Once she got there, his secretary, Patricia, told her she'd have to wait a few minutes for the Chief. She sat down in one of the chairs outside his office.

She felt tired and leaned her head back against the wall. She closed her eyes and had a flashback to five years ago.

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Meredith was in a hospital room with a woman. She was holding the woman's hand._

"_Everything is going to be okay. I'll be here the whole time," Meredith said to the woman._

"_Meredith," the woman said with tears in her eyes. "I can't…I …" she said as another wave of pain hit the woman's body. The woman was tired and becoming weaker. The husband had not yet arrived and didn't seem to be coming any time soon._

"_You can do this," Meredith said with determination. "You're not alone."_

"_Okay, on three I'm going to need you to push, okay?" the doctor said._

"_You ready?" Meredith asked._

"_Okay, I can do this," the woman said looking at Meredith._

"_One, Two, Three," the doctor said. They continued on like this for a few minutes until finally a cry was heard. Meredith and the woman both had tears in their eyes as a beautiful baby girl was placed in the woman's arms._

"_Haley," the woman spoke. "Haley Meredith Scott is her name," she said looking at Meredith with her tear filled eyes. "Promise me Meredith. Promise me that you'll take care of her."_

_Meredith took in a shaky breath as her tears started to fall down her face, "I promise."_

_Meredith and the woman hugged each other and the woman murmured, "Happy Birthday, Meredith." Meredith laughed a little realizing it was her birthday. The next thing they knew, she was flat lining. The woman's heart couldn't take anything more. The baby was removed from the woman's arms as Meredith frantically called to her friend, practically sister-in-law. _

"_Elizabeth?" she said. The doctors tried to revive her but nothing had happened. Meredith looked at her friend and the tears fell even faster. _

_As she stood there in shock, she heard the cry of the baby. Instinctively, Meredith went to the crib and picked up the crying girl. She started to rock her and carried her out into the hallway. The little baby's cries started to subside and Meredith smiled. Once she looked into the sweet innocent baby's eyes, she had fallen in love with the child. In that moment, she had made a vow to always be there and protect Haley._

_As Meredith rocked the little girl, she looked up to see the father walking down the hallway. Meredith remembered that now she would have to tell this man that his wife was no longer alive. The man looked up and smiled but then it faded as he looked into Meredith's eyes. In that moment he knew. The three red roses he held fell to the floor and nothing needed to be said._

"_Haley Meredith Scott," Meredith said. "You will always be loved and have a home. Always and forever."_

_(End of Flashback)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Chief was in his office finishing up business when his phone rang. It was Patricia, telling him that Meredith was here to see him. He told his secretary to have her wait a few minutes while he finished up what he was doing.

Richard had decided to remain chief, after Derek turned down the offer. Chief and his wife, Adele, were trying once again. Once he was done, he got up and headed for his door.

As he opened the door, he saw Meredith sitting in one of the chairs across from him. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be in a dream. He smiled looking at her. He too had heard all the rumors about her recent break up with Derek. The Chief, at first, had never really been all that supportive of their relationship, but as time went on he saw how much they loved each other. Richard knew both of them were hurting and had hope that they would figure everything out.

Chief walked over to Meredith and called her name softly, "Meredith."

She hadn't responded to him much other than mumbling something in coherent. He tried again, "Meredith?"

"I promise," she mumbled. The Chief then shook her shoulder a little bit and continued to call her name gently.

After a minute, Meredith woke up. "Haley," she whispered. Meredith looked around at her surroundings realizing she was outside the Chief's office.

The Chief looked at her concerned. Meredith looked so sad and lost. He took in her appearance. She seemed as if she had just woken up from a bad dream.

With the memory still fresh in her mind, tears flooded her eyes as she tried to figure out why she was thinking of that day. Then she realized that in three days, on Sunday, it would be five years since that bitter sweet day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After being assigned by Bailey, the residents all went to find their interns. It was funny to see them talking to their interns and laying down the rules just as Bailey had done to them. Since Meredith was not there, Bailey took the liberty of showing her interns around the hospital.

All the residents were now at the nurses' station talking about their interns.

"I numbered mine," Christina said. Everyone looked at her wide eyed. "What? I don't have time to learn their names. I'm a surgeon, not their best friend."

"I just think that may be you could be a little considerate to them," Izzie replied.

"Why?" Alex asked. "They're interns and we're residents. We're their boss and there is nothing they can do about it."

As the residents continued to talk, Derek and Bailey both came from opposite sides and joined everyone at the nurses' station.

"Man, I need a good surgery," Christina replied.

"You always need a surgery," Izzie said.

"Anyways, have you seen-" Christina was cut off by someone else.

"Where the hell is Grey?" Dr. Bailey barked, beating Christina to the question.

At the mention of Meredith, Derek looked over. He became concerned once he realized that she wasn't with the rest of the group. Derek remembered watching her from the bridge, earlier that morning.

"Last time we saw her was in the locker room before you came in. Like I said before, she said she had to talk to the Chief," Izzie answered Dr. Bailey.

"Yeah, she was pretty quiet this morning," Alex commented.

"Something is up once again," Christina replied. "Why would she need to see the-" once again, Bailey had cut her off.

"This isn't social time. Get to work!" Bailey snapped.

All the residents grabbed charts and started going off in different directions. Derek, on the hand, stayed where he was. He tried to figure out why Meredith was meeting the Chief or where she could be. He looked at his watch and saw that he had about an hour or two until his next surgery. Derek figured he would see if he could find Meredith and ask her if she wanted to scrub in. He closed the chart in his hands and started his search.

Author's Note:

Thank you very much for all the great reviews. i'll try to post everyday, if not, every other day. I really appreciate all the comments and hope you continue to enjoy. I know the beginning is kind of a filler-in and just kind of is boring, but it will get better. Thank you once again and hope you enjoyed so far.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

At the Seattle airport, a man and small girl get off a plane. As they are walking down the stairs, the driver of the limousine opens the door for them.

The man is dressed in a polo shirt and khakis. His hair is dark and slightly spiked up with gel. As he gets to the bottom of the stairs, he stretches and you can see his arm muscles flex. He turns around to make sure the little girl is coming. The little girl has a cute yellow dress on with her Hannah Montana backpack also. Her hair is dirty blonde and pulled back into a pony tail. As she reaches the end of the stairs, the man holds out his hand for the little girl to take. He smiles down at her and walks her to the limousine, where the driver is waiting.

"Good afternoon sir," the driver greets them.

"Good afternoon," the man replies.

"Welcome to Seattle."

"Thank-you," the man smiles to the driver. He and the little girl get into the limousine as the driver shuts the door for them.

"Daddy?" the little girl asked.

"Yes," the man replied.

"Where are we?" she asked as she looked out the window.

"We're in Seattle sweetie."

"Are we gonna see Mommy?"

"Soon, you'll see her soon. She's going to be excited to see you. Both your birthdays are on the same day."

"Yay!!!!" the girl excitedly cheered. "Our birthdays are on Sunday and I'm gonna be five," she said holding up five fingers.

The man smiled down at his daughter and said, "Yes you are. That means you're going to be a big girl."

"Does mommy love me?" the girl asked looking at her Dad.

The man looks at her for a second before replying, "Yes, she loves you very much."

"Then why doesn't she live with us?"

"Because we are just friends and she had to come here for her job…and… we had to… umm… go where we went," the man said sadly.

"Okay, but I get to see her soon?" the little girl asked.

"Yes very soon."

By now the limousine was approaching a very large and expensive home. There were a couple cars already in the drive way and a maid came out to help them.

"Okay, here we are. Now you be good for the baby-sitter while I go and take care of a few things. I have to go get some things ready for mommy so that we both can see her."

"Do I get to see her today?" the girl asked excitedly.

"I'm sorry princess. You'll have to wait until Sunday."

"Okay," the girl replied disappointed.

The man looked at his daughter and sighed, "How about you make her a card and get all her presents ready for her, that then when Sunday comes, you'll be ready."

"Okay, I got a lot to do then," the girl said in a serious tone.

The man laughed and hugged his daughter. "Now be good while I'm gone and maybe I'll bring some ice cream home."

"I'll be the bestest Daddy."

"I love you sweetie."

"Love you too Daddy."

_**Author's note:**_

Sorry for the delay. have lots and projects to do and finals are friday and tuesday. i'll do my best to update. Thank you for all the great comments!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Back at Seattle Grace, the Chief and Meredith had sat down in his office.

"So Meredith, you wanted to see me. Is everything alright?"

Meredith took a deep breath and replied, "Everything is fine. I was just going to ask about maybe being able to…" Meredith could not get the flashback out of her head fully and was having a hard time saying what she wanted to say now. "I was just wondering… well, I'm not sure yet, but this is just a thought and I don't want you to be angry or the others… I think it would be best for me… if I…" Meredith rambled.

The Chief looked at how jumpy, nervous, and scared Meredith was. He was utterly confused by her rambling. He couldn't help but smile that she may just be trying to confide in him. He looked at her and could only wish that she was his daughter. Whatever she was asking for, he was ready to help her. The Chief had already made that decision in his head. He knew how stubborn Meredith could be and he could only imagine how hard it was for her to come and actually ask him for help.

"Meredith," the Chief said.

"Yeah?"

"You know you can just tell me."

"Okay," she took another deep breath and continued. "I'm thinking about transferring."

Silence took over the office. The Chief had an even more confused expression as to what she had just said. This was not what he was expecting from Meredith. He became a little sad to know that she wanted to leave. The Chief had promised Ellis to take care of Meredith. How would he take care of her if she left?

"What? Why?" the Chief asked.

"I… uuhhh," Meredith stuttered.

The Chief examined Meredith and asked, "You're not leaving because of personal reasons, are you Meredith?"

"Sort of," Meredith replied. "I just… I just need to get out of Seattle."

"I'll give you two weeks off starting now. Take your time. I know you've been through a lot lately and-" but the Chief was cut off by Meredith.

"No I need to leave. I really don't know if I'll come back. There isn't much left here for me."

"Meredith, what about you're friends... and Derek?" the Chief asked.

"Things have changed and happened and I don't know… I need to breathe. I need to breathe on my own," Meredith said.

"Your friends are like your family. They can and will help you," the Chief replied.

"I know, but I think I need time to myself," Meredith paused and then continued. "So many things have happened recently and it's almost as if I'm even more lost than I was before. I just need to leave and get out of here."

With that Meredith got up and started to walk for the door. The Chief sat there and thought about everything Meredith had just told him. It didn't seem like there was much he could do to change her mind.

"Meredith." She paused as she started to open the door. The Chief got up and went over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll think about it. If you really need to leave then leave, but you need to also think about it."

"Okay," she said as she pulled the door open and wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "I'll think about it."

Chief watched as she left and walked across the bridge. As Meredith walked across the bridge, she looked outside. She saw the dark and gloomy clouds. It was about to storm. That feeling came back and so had the memories of the past. She knew something was going to happen.

Author's Note:

Just to let you know, i probably won't update until the weekend or after monday or tuesday. i've got finals and a project to do and i'll do my best on updating. thank you once again for all the great comments. i really appreciate all your support.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Derek had just come out of surgery. He had been unsuccessful in finding Meredith. His surgery ended up being pushed forward because the patient became worse. Now he was standing at the nurses' station filling out a chart after a three hour surgery. He may have been writing, but his thoughts were somewhere else.

Meredith. His thoughts always lead to Meredith. He couldn't get over her. A small smile crept across his face as he thought of her. He thought about the first time he saw her at Joe's bar and how beautiful she looked. His breath had been taken away by her beauty and her laugh was inviting. He thought about how she hadn't fallen for his good looks and charms as fast as most girls had. He remembered how he chased her and annoyed her to go out with him. He loved her smile, laugh, and the scent of her hair. He could never get sick of that beautiful and sweet scent of lavender.

Just as he thought of all the happy times they had together, his mood shifted back to being sad and angry. Why couldn't she just let him in? Why couldn't she just for once in her life, have a break from everything? Why couldn't she believe in their happily ever after? She was so damaged from her past he wasn't sure anymore of what to do. A part of him felt guilty because he too had taken a role of that past by breaking her.

He shook his head and got back to work, still wondering where and what was wrong with Meredith.

Across the nurses station a man had come up to a nurse. "Hi," he said. "Can you help me with something?"

"Sure, what do you need?" the nurse asked.

"I was wondering if you could give me Meredith Grey's pager number?" the man asked.

At the mention of Meredith, Derek looked up in curiosity and wondered who the man could have been. Had she already moved on? No, that couldn't be possible, Derek thought.

"Sure, but who are you exactly?" the nurse asked.

The man was silent for a second and then said, "Just an old friend."

"I'm sorry, but I'll need a name. I can't just give out her number."

"Oh, okay…. couldn't you just tell me. I won't tell anyone or anything."

"I'm sorry sir."

"Okay, thanks anyways," the man sighed.

The nurse nodded her head and then left to go help a doctor. The man turned around to leave but then stopped right away. He walked back up to the nurses' station and noticed the list of contact numbers. Not realizing that Derek had been watching him secretly, he grabbed the list and found Meredith's number.

"Here it is," the man said. He pulled out his phone and typed the number in quickly. He put the list down and walked away from the nurses' station. Derek watched the man and didn't know what to think. Did Meredith know who this man was? Did she know he was here to see her? Why wouldn't he just say who he was? He decided to go check on a few patients and continue his search for Meredith.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After the man dropped off his daughter at home and stopped by the hospital, he decided to go to the flower shop. He drove is metallic grey Porsche 911 GT2 into the parking lot of the flower shop. As he walked into the store, he was greeted by the clerk.

"Hi, welcome to Martelli's Flower Shop. How may I help you?" the clerk asked.

"I need to send flowers to a friend," the man replied.

"Oh, okay. What kind of flowers would you like to send then?"

"Well, see the thing is I haven't seen her in about a year now and let's just say… I have a lot to make up for."

"Okay then. So… she's your girlfriend or ex-girlfriend?" the clerk asked.

"No, no… definitely not my girlfriend. More like the little sister I never had. Her birthday is on Sunday. I use to send flowers and gifts to her a few days before her birthday. It was kind of this little tradition thing we started."

"Aaaww, how sweet. So you both are close?"

"Yeah. On the day of her birthday I give her a party or some big gift normally."

"Okay, do you have any idea what kind of flowers you want to send?"

"I don't know. Maybe a mix of different ones. I'll need at least two bouquets and couple other flowers."

"Let's start with some catalogs and we'll go from there."

"Sounds great to me."

After spending about an hour or two picking out flowers and chocolates, he finally had all his deliveries arranged. He even bought a little extra candy for Haley. The first delivery would occur this afternoon sometime.

Before he went home, he stopped at one more place for more surprises. He put in his order so that one gift was delivered Saturday and the other he would pick up Sunday. The second gift he would personally give to her. As he walked out the place he saw that across the street was an ice cream shop. He thought of Haley and how he promised her ice cream. He decided to go ahead and pick out some ice cream for her and head home. His plan was all set and all he had to do was wait until Sunday. He was anxious and nervous to see what would happen.

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the delay. hope you liked it. I'll try and update soon. thank you once again for the comments.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

After Meredith's meeting with the Chief, she went around checking on her patients. She found her interns and made sure they were doing their jobs also. Now she was walking to the nurses' station to drop off and pick up some more charts. No interesting cases had come in and if anything had, she missed her opportunity.

Once she reached the nurses' station she put her charts down and reached for some more. She was in her own little world. She still couldn't get the dream out of her head. After she talked with the Chief, she had gone up on the roof top for some time alone. There she let the tears fall as she remembered the past. She couldn't believe that bittersweet day was three days away. Sunday. That was the day. It would have been five years since that day.

Meredith looked tired and exhausted. All the other residents were in surgeries. It was about one o'clock in the afternoon now. Most workers would be excited that it was Friday and the weekend meant time to relax. However as a surgeon, there was never time to relax. She rubbed her eyes and put her charts where they needed to go and headed for her next patient. She put on a smile as she walked into the patient's room.

"Good afternoon Mr. Carter. How are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Good afternoon and I thought I told you to call me Doug," the patient replied.

"Sorry," Meredith smiled. "Good afternoon Doug and how are you feeling today?"

"That's better and I'm doing fine today Meredith. Now that you're here my day has just brightened up."

Meredith blushed and chuckled at Doug. Doug Carter was 65 years old and was involved in a car crash five days ago. He had severe head injuries when he came in. Derek had performed surgery on him and she had scrubbed in with him on the case. He seemed to be recovering well so far and there were no complications as of yet. Doug had taken a liking to Meredith and adored her. She kept him company every so often. Doug didn't have any family with him and Meredith seemed to become the closest thing to family he had gotten.

"That's good. It looks like you're recovering just fine and I'm just going to check-," she was cut off by Doug.

"-my vitals and what not. I think I've gotten that part down," Doug replied. Meredith smiled and started her exam. "So how are you today? You doctors are always asking us but-," this time Meredith finished for him.

"-but we never ask ourselves the same question? I think I got that part down," she replied. It was like a routine they had whenever she came in to check up on him.

"Yes, so how are you?" Doug asked.

"I'm… fine," Meredith hesitated.

"Are you?"

Meredith thought about the question for a few seconds before answering, "Sort of. I think… I guess not."

"I see," Doug replied. Doug had heard Meredith's long story about her childhood and everything that had recently happened to her. He could relate to her and felt sorry for her. "Is there anything that'll cheer you up?" he asked.

Meredith thought about it. "Right now…. I'm not sure, but you getting better and discharged soon will help," she smiled. "This Sunday is my birthday, but I'm not really looking forward to it much. Bad things have happened. It's a bittersweet day for me," Meredith said sadly.

She continued talking with Doug, while doing the rest of the examination. Meredith enjoyed his company and found it surprising that she had opened up so much to him. She had probably told him more about her life than she did to the rest of the people she knew in Seattle. Maybe it was because he didn't know her and wouldn't judge and feel even more sympathy towards her unlike her friends. It was hard for her to talk about the past. Everyone knew she had her issues. They knew her past had damaged her and she just didn't want them to know anymore than what they knew for now.

Meredith finished the exam and stood at the end of his bed. "You should be able to get discharged in about a week or less if you keep progressing well."

"Thank god. I'm starting to get tired of this room, but I do love the company you've given me. I'll miss that. Being old and lonely makes me feel so empty and useless," Doug said sadly.

"Who said you wouldn't get to see me? You could come visit or I could visit you or…," Meredith rambled on.

"You'd do that for me?" Doug asked.

"Of course. I told you my life story and you listened. You told me yours and I listened."

"Thank you sweetheart. You really are something special," he replied as Meredith's pager went off. "Looks like you're wanted."

"Looks that way," she said after reading her pager. "I'll be back later to check on you and then I'll talk to Dr. Shepherd about when you can be discharged." Meredith walked to the door, but then turned to Doug and said, "You aren't the only one who feels empty and alone. So in a way you aren't alone."

Doug smiled and told her to leave so that she could do her job. Meredith walked away with a smile on her face and hurried her way onto the nurses' station.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

With her departing words to Doug, she left his room and headed for the nurses' station. She had no idea who had paged her. All it had read was to report to the nurses' station. She figured it must have been Bailey or possibly another doctor who was about to tell her that her interns were already screwing up. As she walked up to the nurses' station, she noticed there was chocolate and flowers on the other side of the station. She thought about how sweet the gesture was for whoever was receiving the surprise. She looked around for any familiar faces, as to who had paged her, but couldn't find any.

"Uuuhhhh… I was paged?" Meredith said to one of the nurses.

"Oh, Dr. Grey. Just one second, let me take care of this task real quick and I'll be right with you," the nurse replied as Meredith nodded and smiled politely to her.

Derek was still on the search for Meredith, while checking up on his patients. He turned the corner and was once again heading towards the nurses' station. As he was walking another doctor stopped him and started asking him a few questions. Meredith looked up and saw him talking. He seemed down and the sparkle in his eyes was no longer there. She knew that she was probably part of the reason why he was in such a sad state, but figured that he would get over her and move on. After all, she thought this was the best for the both of them.

"Dr.Grey?" the nurse said, snapping Meredith back to reality. Just as the nurse said her name, Derek also looked up to find Meredith turning to talk to the nurse. He felt himself relax seeing that she was okay and here.

"Yes?" Meredith replied.

The nurse pointed to the flowers and chocolate and said, "Those came in for you."

"What?" Meredith replied confused.

"They were delivered about fifteen minutes ago."

"Oh…uuuhhh… okay," Meredith stuttered.

She slowly walked over to the flowers. They were lily flowers. Those were her favorite flowers. No one really knew her favorite flowers. She never really told anyone about her likes and dislikes out in Seattle, which confused her. Who could've sent her flowers and why?

The whole time Derek was watching her closely. He too was wondering what the flowers were and who had sent them. A part of him became somewhat jealous that maybe she had already moved on. He decided to walk over to the nurses' station to see if he could find anything out.

Meredith saw a note in the flowers and pulled it out. She took the card out of the small white envelope and read the note to herself.

_Happy Early Birthday!!_

_This is just the beginning._

_More surprises to come._

At the end of the note there was no name. She checked the back of the small card and envelope but didn't find any name. She read the note over a few more times trying to piece the puzzle together. There was no way this was happening. She hadn't told anyone that her birthday was Sunday because the last thing she needed was her friends, or more like Izzie, hovering and going crazy around her. All this time, Meredith hadn't notice that Derek was now a few feet away from her. He was watching her out the corner of his eyes and took in the surprised, yet confused expression.

"So who are they from?" Derek asked, trying not to sound nosy and harsh. Meredith didn't reply and he looked up to see that she was off in her own little world. She seemed to be feeling every emotion by her expression. "Meredith?" he asked and it was then Meredith snapped back to the present. She looked around her and saw Derek. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm good," she replied.

"So who sent you this stuff?" he asked again.

She was silent. She was trying to find a way of getting out of the conversation, but she couldn't come up with anything. "Uummm… just a… old friend," she said quickly. With that, she took the flowers and chocolate and left.

Derek was confused and trying to figure out who this "old friend" was. He didn't ever remember her talking about many other people from her past. He then remembered what he had seen earlier at the nurses' station. He thought of the man that had wanted Meredith's pager number. He wondered if it was the same person who had sent her the flowers. Whoever this person was had shaken Meredith up and he sighed as he watched her walk away, yet again.

**AN: sorry for the delay. been really busy lately. hope you enjoyed. i'll try to update soon!!**


End file.
